"Hoofer", a term used for a dancer of the 1920's, and later on rather than referring to any dancer it began to specifically to refer to a Tap dancer. Hoofers came in all shapes, sizes, male and female, all with unique and different styles and techniques.

From jig to shuffle to clog to Tap. From cotton mill to street corner to stage and finally to silver screen. This phenomenon which gathered momentum just after the first world war, and through the 1920's and hitting its peak in the 1930's as an export in motion pictures. The motion picture export was not spearheaded by it's pioneers of Tap, but dancers, some good some not so good who exploited this American phenomena to it's best potential. Tap Dancing is still very much with us to day enjoying a rebirth for at least a forth time.

Being a Hoofer was a living, a way of life and income if you were good enough. Even if you were good enough you still needed the breaks and the style and finesse to please the crowd. There were many speciality Tap dancers that, although they were technically masterful, had no stage personality, so fell into obscurity. Even some of those who had the talent were often not allowed to show it, for fear of up staging well known personalities who had already become house hold names and were assumed to be at the top of their field.

Steeped in mystery and controversy the Hoofers Club remains the talking point of all Tap dancers that take the time to do a little research into the history of the art form they are learning. An art form learned with no historical back ground has no foundation and has no point of reference, almost like a life that has experienced no childhood and no recollection of lessons learned.